07 Ene Measuring the Invisible Impact: How Off-the-Ball Work by Key Players Can Change the Course of a Match
In modern football, game analysis goes far beyond goals, precise passes, or spectacular dribbles. There are less visible yet equally important aspects that can make a significant difference in a team’s performance. One of these is the off-the-ball work by certain players, whose movement creates space for their teammates and facilitates dangerous offensive situations. At LaLiga’s Football Intelligence & Sports Performance area, we have developed a model to measure this off-the-ball work, combining advanced techniques such as Voronoi diagrams and interpersonal distance analysis.
What Does the Model Involve and How Is It Applied to Professional Football?
The primary objective of this model is to identify and quantify the «pull effect» that key players, such as Mbappé, exert on opposing defenses. This effect occurs when a player with great offensive ability attracts the attention of several defenders, creating space for other teammates to exploit.
By using Voronoi diagrams, which divide the field according to each player’s area of influence, and calculating the distances between the reference player and the nearest opponents, the model measures how long and to what extent defenders are drawn toward a specific player. This analysis is conducted in frame intervals (25 frames per second) to accurately capture the impact of each movement.
Key Findings of the Research:
- Increased Space for Teammates: The data shows that when a player exerts a pull effect on opposing defenders, the Voronoi area of their immediate teammates significantly increases. This implies that teammates have more space to maneuver, receive passes, and create dangerous plays.
- Reduction of Opponents’ Defensive Influence Area: The model also demonstrates that defenders drawn toward the reference player reduce their own defensive influence areas. This phenomenon allows other attackers to face less pressure and gain greater freedom of action in key areas of the field.
- Duration of the Pull Effect: The exact duration during which defenders remain under the influence of the pulling player has been quantified. This timing is crucial to determine when teammates should take advantage of the generated space.
How Can Coaches Apply These Findings in Their Daily Work?
1. Designing Specific Training Sessions:
Coaches can plan drills that promote space creation through off-the-ball movement. For example, including tasks where offensive players must attract defenders to generate space in lateral or central zones.
2. Identifying Key Players for the Pull Effect:
With this tool, it is possible to identify which players in the team generate the most attraction on opposing defenses and enhance their use in attacking situations. This way, the coach can define strategies that exploit this effect to maximize offensive opportunities.
3. Analyzing Opponents:
The model also allows studying which defenders are more susceptible to being pulled by key players from the opposing team, facilitating the design of a more effective game plan.
Use Cases in Competition:
- Exploiting Defensive Weaknesses: If the opponent tends to focus too many players on certain attackers, the coach can implement strategies involving continuous off-the-ball runs and quick changes in play direction to exploit the generated spaces.
- Optimizing the Final Phase of Attack: By knowing when and where the largest spaces are generated, the team can better synchronize runs and decisive passes in the final third.
Supporting Research and Articles:
- «Wide Open Spaces: A statistical technique for measuring space creation in professional soccer». This study by Javier Fernández and Luke Bornn presents a model for quantifying space occupation and generation during open play. You can access the article here: https://barcainnovationhub.fcbarcelona.com/investigation/wide-open-spaces-a-statistical-technique-for-measuring-space-creation-in-professional-soccer/
- «Visualizing Football with Delaunay Triangulations and Voronoi Diagrams», an article by Francisco R. Villatoro that explores the use of geometric tools to analyze team tactical behavior on the field. Available at: https://francis.naukas.com/2017/03/15/diagramas-de-voronoi-en-el-futbol/
Conclusions:
This off-the-ball work analysis model represents a significant step forward in understanding fundamental tactical aspects that have previously gone unnoticed. For coaches, it provides a new tool to optimize offensive strategies and maximize the potential of their players. By measuring and understanding the impact of off-the-ball work, new ways to plan training sessions, design plays, and exploit opponents’ weaknesses are unlocked.